The Associated Press
OLYMPIA — Gov. Chris Gregoire has reached a tentative agreement with state workers on health insurance increases.
State workers currently pay 12 percent of their health care premium costs, and the state pays the rest. Gregoire had said the amount shouldered by workers could increase to 26 percent because of a projected mutil-billion-dollar budget shortfall.
But this week, her office agreed to a rate of 15 percent.
The agreement was reached Thursday, but is not final until the rest of the contract is negotiated, and then ratified by the union.
The state Legislature also would have to approve funding for the overall contract.
If the deal stands, the premium changes would take effect Jan. 1, 2012, and would likely cover more than 100,000 state employees, both union and nonunion.
